New To This
by xpzlol
Summary: Post Frozen II. Oneshot. Fluff. When Elsa first decided to stay in the enchanted forest, she had expected to have to start anew. She had expected to have to work with the spirits. She had expected to have to live with the Northuldra. What she hadn't expected, was to have to deal with love.


A gentle zephyr rustled the lush, green leaves of the branches above, before reaching down to caress her cheek. Then, without warning, the soft breeze turned into a strong gust of wind, whistling in pitchy chirps as it twirled around the woman. She smiled, eyes lighting up upon seeing the white piece of folded paper hovering in the currents of the wind spirit.

"Hey Gale," she greeted, a hint of cheer seeping under the regal disposition that had been cultivated from years of living within the royal confines of a castle. "Another letter from Anna?

The wind spirit chittered sweetly in response, placing the parchment gently in her outstretched hand.

It was a reindeer this time. Trust her bubbly sister - the literal epitome of happiness - to make simple affairs such as the posting of letters seems so much more sweet. Seeing the carefully folded letter made the woman's heart swell with love.

She didn't deserve Anna.

Cautiously, she unfolded the piece of paper, ensuring that she didn't smooth out any of the creases. She committed the actions she took to open the letter to memory, so that once she was done reading the letter several times, she could return it back to its original state.

Her eyes slowly moved back and forth as she attentively perused the (mostly legible) scrawl of words that was so unlike her own measured cursive handwriting.

_El__sa,_

_How's__ life in the forest? Anything change? I really hope you're coping well, because I am! Well, starting to, anyway. Wedding preparations have started picking up and Kristoff is taking the bulk of it because of my 'Queenly Duties' as Olaf keeps calling them. It's really sweet of him to do so. Kristoff I mean. And I'm not saying that Olaf isn't sweet because he is, but just a different kind of sweet and_

_Anyway everything is fine here in Arendelle. The citizens are happy and so am I._

_Remember: game night, same day same time. Don't be late!_

_-Love you lots, Anna._

By the time Elsa had finished reading the letter for the third time, she was beaming. Her lips were curved upwards in a full-blown grin, and her eyes were exuding nothing but pride.

Pride for her sister having dealt with being queen so well, despite all the hiccups and twists and turns she encountered along the way. Pride for her cheerful, joyful sister having remained unchanged, despite the burden of royalty being placed upon her shoulders.

That thought caused Elsa to recall Anna's question. _Had anything changed?_

She ruminated for a moment, but was unable to come up with an answer. Or at least, any answer that didn't hold semblance to the reply: 'nothing'.

A voice, one that Elsa had come to know quite well, pervaded her sense and she was jolted harshly out of her musings.

"Elsa". That was all the voice said.

Even before turning around, Elsa knew who she would see. Brown, chestnut curls, eyes that held colour akin to drops of honey…

"Maren, hey." The butterflies had started up again, flapping around in her abdomen. She took a breath.

"Sorry if I scared you there, but lunch has been prepared. Care to join?" There it was. That crooked smile. Elsa felt her face flush.

"Lunch? Yeah. Yeah sure," Elsa clasped her hands and straightened her back, trying to save whatever minute amount of dignity she had left: a strange phenomenon that only occurred whenever Honeymaren was around.

Elsa stayed, stock-still as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat while Honeymaren turned around to walk, small stones and pebbles crunching under her feet. Then, she stopped abruptly and spun around to face Elsa.

"Walk with me?"

Elsa took a sharp breath, her face heating up further. Next thing she knew, she would say something stupid.

"Uh, later."

There it was.

She saw Honeymaren's eyebrows raise in question, before a giggle rang throughout the trees, crisp and melodic like the drip-drip of morning dew.

"I mean," she felt her voice break and the giggle returned, louder this time and filled with more mirth. Elsa cleared her throat.

"I mean," she repeated, this time in a more controlled manner, "I'll catch up with you later."

"Alright" Honeymaren smiled, and Elsa once again fought to subdue the little butterflies that fluttered in her belly.

Then Honeymaren was gone, but not before letting out a sigh, soft yet audible in the quietude of the afternoon forest.

Elsa collected herself, returning to that confident, dignified character. She glanced at the letter once more, re-reading the second question posed.

She looked up at the path Honeymaren had taken, and blushed.

Because maybe some things _did_ change.

* * *

They say love is unexpected. For Elsa, it rammed into her like a charging reindeer.

The blushing, the spikes in heart rate, the feeling of apprehension and anxiety and perturbation - were all signs that she was falling.

Falling in love.

Yet, even as she said that out loud in her mind, as it echoed within even the darkest recesses of her soul, she still struggled to come to terms with it.

She had never come into close quarters with such a thing, with such a feeling. It was so _new_.

The best thing she could relate it to was her sisterly affection with Anna, and that didn't even come remotely close to her situation. She had so many questions; she didn't know what to do.

Was it okay if they were both female? How would she go about it? Would she wait it out? Would she tell her? What if she didn't like her back? What would she do then?

The worst thing was how undeniably _unprepared_ she was. It wasn't something she was familiar with, and she hated it. She hated it so much.

Never had such a thing come so out of the blue in her life. As _Queen of Arendelle_, she was always informed, always ready. She always had plans, and backup plans for those plans.

(If you didn't count her coronation, at least)

Yet, now that she held a different epithet - _The Fifth Spirit_, she stood unarmed, unsteady. This thing had sprung up out of nowhere, and it wasn't something she could solve by declining to sign a piece of paper, wasn't something defeated by a few blasts of her ice. There wasn't a manual or any defined steps she could take to deal with it.

In the face of something so small, she was helpless. And it was _frustrating_.

She groaned, slamming the axe down onto the dry branch in front of her, slicing it in half. Splinters flew and rained down upon the dirt around her, joining the growing pile that was already present.

Placing the two pieces of chopped birch with the rest of the firewood, she reached to her left only to find air. Turning slightly, she found only empty space where there was raw wood beforehand.

She really was thinking too much about her problems.

Standing up, she stretched her arms and back, getting rid of the feeling of pins and needles that had precipitated from repeating the same action for so long.

The sun rays filtered through the trees, reflecting off the undergrowth in diffused, golden stretches of light. She had started in the afternoon, and so by estimation it would be around dinnertime.

She began loading the wood into a large, straw bag to be hauled back to the Northuldra campsite. Spring was in full bloom by now, and so dead logs and trees were less easily procured.

That meant more work, to which Elsa obliged. It was the one constant in her life, and she was happy to keep it that way.

As she placed the last couple pieces of firewood into the bag, she heard footsteps coming her way. She looked up, and a grin graced her face.

"Hello," she greeted. Honeymaren waved back at her.

"Hey, you free now?"

Elsa nodded. "I just have to get this bag back to camp. I'll be free after that."

"Great! Wanna go for a picnic? I've prepared some food," she asked, lifting a basket that she clutched in her left hand.

"Sure," Elsa hefted the bag and lowered her face in an attempt to cover up the blush forming on her cheeks. She had been so caught up tracing the lines on Honeymaren's face she hadn't even noticed the basket of food.

_This is impossible_.

"By the way, Ryder won't be coming this time. Yelena's got him sharpening knives after yesterday's antics. It'll be just the two of us."

Elsa's heartbeat quickened and felt as if her legs would buckle any moment.

"Just the two of us?" she squeaked, face suddenly hot.

Honeymaren's eyes twinkled as she gave a grin that could have been misconstrued as a sly smirk, and Elsa could have sworn she sent her a wink.

"Yup, just the two of us."

Then, she spun around and began walking. Elsa followed meekly, eyes glued to Honeymaren's rear without her own volition. It was only when Honeymaren slowed did she look up and realise they had made it to the campsite.

She put down the heavy straw sack and heaved a sigh of relief. Turning around, she was caught off guard when Honeymaren grabbed her hand and tugged her along. Her basket swung in her hand as she ran, towing a flustered Elsa behind her.

"Maren, what-" Elsa exclaimed, both surprised and awkward at the sudden contact Honeymaren had established between them.

"Come on, we're almost there!"

Elsa wanted to ask "where?" but the little laugh that Honeymaren let out as they flew through the forest caused her mind to fog up. It was so sweet, so dulcet. The butterflies were back. And there were many, many more this time.

Suddenly, Honeymaren stopped. Elsa, too engrossed in the sight of a joyous, carefree Maren, didn't anticipate the sudden halt of movement and slammed into Honeymaren's back, sending both of them crashing to the ground

The grass was slick under Elsa's fingers, and as she turned to push herself up, she realised that she had fallen on top of Honeymaren.

Honeymaren lay face up, and Elsa's now disheveled platinum strands fell around their heads, as if creating a curtain of privacy.

Blue eyes met brown. The world stopped turning, and it was just the two of them.

They stayed like that for what could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours, or years or-

A small, croaky chirp sounded out from the ground beside them.

Immediately, Elsa hopped onto her feet, dusting herself off. She inhaled deeply, and only realised then that she had been holding her breath. Looking to the side, she spotted Bruni staring at her, head cocked to the right as purple flames glowed and danced on his back.

Count on a burning salamander to ruin a moment.

Honeymaren was now sat up on the ground, rubbing her neck in very obvious discomfort. Maybe it was the pain when she fell. Or the position they were in when they fell.

Elsa really hoped it was the latter.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Elsa apologised, extending her hand.

Honeymaren gave a muted grin, staring at the hand for a moment as if contemplating whether to take it or not, before grasping it tightly and letting Elsa pull her up.

"I'm fine, it was an accident, no need to be sorry." Maren replied. Elsa gave an apologetic smile anyway.

Bruni gave another chirp, calling attention to himself. Both Elsa and Honeymaren rolled their eyes turned to the blue salamander.

Elsa stopped down to let him hop onto her hand (after he had extinguished himself). Then, she waved her other hand over him, allowing small, soft glowing flakes of snow to rain upon him. His eyes lit up, and he extended his tongue in excitement, trying to scoop up every little drop that appeared.

Honeymaren grinned softly. "He's so cute."

"Yes," Elsa replied, staring not at Bruni but at Honeymaren. _But you're cuter_.

* * *

Once they had prepared the picnic and Bruni had scampered off to wherever magical fiery salamanders went in spring, they both sat down and grabbed a few berries in their hand.

They weren't at their usual picnic area. Honeymaren had led them further out from camp to a less traversed part of the forest.

This part was on a grassy cliffside, overlooking the dark sea, whose waves were calmer now that Elsa had reconciled the spirits. The sun was just beginning to dip over the horizon, casting a warm amber glow upon the land beneath.

Elsa popped an orange coloured berry into her mouth - a cloudberry, as she had learnt from her time here. It was sweet, although the seeds were a little bitter when chewed. It wasn't chocolate, but it was good enough.

"Do you like it here?"

Elsa turned to come face to face with Maren's questioning gaze. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course I do. Why would you ask?"

Honeymaren pursed her lips, and Elsa had to hold back a squeal, because she looked so _adorable_ in that manner.

"I mean, isn't it uncomfortable, with all the physical work and the lack of soft beds and without any servants? Wouldn't living back in the castle be so much better?" Maren asked, this time worry clear on her face.

"What do you mean?" Elsa was concerned. Had she done something wrong? Something that caused Honeymaren to believe that she didn't want to be here?

"I mean, your family is all the way back in Arendelle, and you're just stuck here, all by yourself, with only letters to contact each other. I… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I sort of… regret asking you to stay here."

Now it was Elsa's turn to have worry written on her face. "Maren, of course I like it here. I may not have all the luxuries of the castle, and I may not have Anna, or Kristoff, but I have the Northuldra, and I have the spirits."

"But-" Elsa interrupted her with a raised finger.

"Here, in the forest, I can be carefree and happy without worrying about the problems of my kingdom. Of course, there are other worries that come with living in the forest, but there are also the memories that I've made here. Ones that cannot be made in a castle." Elsa gave a gentle smile.

"And there's your people, who are just as important as the ones closest to me." _And there's you_.

Honeymaren returned the smile, with a hint of melancholy written within.

"I just… don't want you to stay here and feel sad, but remain anyway just because you're the fifth spirit. What you told me about your past, how you were… shut in. I didn't want you to feel like you're bound to the forest only because of duty."

Elsa sighed through her nose, placing her hand on top of Maren's. The contact caused a tingle to shoot up her arm and she shivered slightly.

"The past is in the past. Things change. I'm happy where I am, and that's all," she replied with a firm tone of regal finality.

Honeymaren said nothing, but after a short moment gave a grin that spoke a million words of gratitude towards Elsa. She turned to look at the sun - now halfway under the horizon, bathing the both of them in her glow.

Elsa glanced at their hands, now intertwined (when did that happen?) and she too turned to watch the sunset, mind and soul settled and contented.

_Maybe things weren't so impossible after all_.

* * *

_Anna,_

_Things are fine here. The Northuldra really are a cheerful bunch. I wish you all the best with your wedding preparations. Remember, if you need help, just tell me and I'll be right there._

_That being said, a lot has changed here. Especially in the past three days, where_

She hesitated, her graphite rod hovering an inch over the parchment. Then, she sighed before scrawling over the line in black.

"Elsa?"

Honeymaren. She would know that bell-like voice anywhere.

"Come in," she called, putting her paper and pencil aside. She heard the ruffle of a tent flap being opened as Honeymaren stepped into the small space of her lavvu.

"Hey, writing to Anna?" she asked, noticing the paper and graphite rod.

Elsa merely nodded, dusting her hands of any black dust that had stuck from the use of her writing tool.

Honeymaren sat down across from Elsa, eyeing the parchment. She said nothing.

Finally, Elsa cleared her throat, and Honeymaren's eyes flickered up to face Elsa.

"So?"

"So? So uh… I just wanted to talk," Maren said, picking at the skirt of her woolen _gákti_.

"Right… So what did you want to talk about?" Elsa inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Snow. Yeah, snow," came a half-hearted reply.

Clearly, Honeymaren had absolutely no intention to make conversation. Elsa noticed her unblinking gaze. For a moment it flickered downwards, but came back up to meet her eyes.

"Okay, tell me the real reason why you decided to just barge in here?"

Maren's face immediately flushed, embarrassed that she had been exposed. Dropping the charade, she exhaled.

"Alright, you got me. But also, I definitely did not 'barge in here'. You let me in."

Elsa waited for her to continue. She didn't.

"So, why did you come here? To just stare at my pretty face?"

Immediately, she heard a sharp snort denoting the intake of breath, and saw Honeymaren's face go completely red. Eyes wide, she dipped her head and bit her lip.

"I… I…" she stuttered, clearly flustered.

Elsa had not expected such a reaction to her joke. In fact, it looked like Maren was-

_Oh_.

It was then did Elsa know, she had hit the nail on the head. Now it was her turn to be flustered

She giggled, lifting her hand to cover her mouth in a coy, dignified gesture. She could feel her cheeks heat up and her breaths become erratic. Honeymaren gave a mirthful, apologetic smile.

"I… I think I'll go now," Honeymaren finally said, standing up.

It took a brief moment for the words to register in Elsa's mind, with all the fog that appeared from the revelation. By then Maren already had one foot out of the _lavvu_.

"No!" She exclaimed, gripping Honeymaren's wrist and pulling her back in.

Honeymaren turned towards her, face full of alarm and confusion.

"Don't go. Stay." Elsa whispered. She didn't know why she did what she did. It was this sudden urge, a burst of compulsion; to ensure that Honeymaren never left her side.

Honeymaren only nodded at her words, silently sitting down, and this time sidling up against her. Elsa sighed in contentment.

Nothing was said for a long while.

"Do you want to talk?" Elsa had to say something. The silence was stifling. Her heart was beating too fast and she was feeling so _hot_. If Honeymaren wasn't here she would have already coated her tent in ice in a bid to cool herself down.

"About what?" Maren whispered back.

"About this."

"Do you want to talk about this?"

Elsa opened her mouth to reply, but hesitated. Honeymaren noticed this, and turned to face her, concerned.

_Ba-dum_.

"Yes," she replied.

"Okay," Maren gave a short squeak.

Elsa shifted to face her more comfortably.

_Ba-dum_. _Ba-dum_.

"How long… have you…" Elsa raised her hands, gesturing around at nothing.

"Have I?"

_Ba-dum_. _Ba-dum_. _Ba-dum_.

Elsa took a deep breath, composing herself. She was shooting in the dark, and if she missed, there would be dire consequences. But it was now, or never.

She chose now.

"Had feelings for me."

_Ba-dum_.

"Oh."

_Oh indeed_. Elsa held her breath, apprehension eating her up inside.

"I… I guess when I first saw you. I know it's cheesy, all that 'love at first sight', stuff, but it's my honest answer."

Elsa exhaled, smiling slightly. Suddenly, the world seemed a whole lot brighter.

"How about you?"

Elsa bit her lip at the question. "For a few weeks now." Short. Simple. _Elsa-esque_.

"Well, better late than never."

The jest caused a giggle to bubble up within her, and she let out a hearty laugh. Happiness burst from her chest as she felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

Finally, she had the answers to all the questions that had haunted her for the past few days.

Or at least most of the questions.

Her eyes connected with the caramel pools of Honeymaren's. Her laughter died down as quickly as it precipitated.

The air grew tense. Elsa didn't know when it happened, but they were sitting side-by-side, hips pressed against each other, faces just inches apart.

_BA-DUM_.

Her heart was soaring to palpitation levels and her hands grew clammy at the sudden position of intimacy she found herself in. Involuntarily, her eyes shifted down to Maren's soft, pink lips.

A tongue darted out to lick them, and Elsa felt her breath hitch at the gesture.

In that moment, nothing else existed.

She didn't know who moved forward first, but that detail was no longer of any importance once she felt Honeymaren's lips on hers.

A shock ran up her spine and exploded in her head in a multitude of colours and sounds as they made contact.

She felt goosebumps rise on her skin and her chest tingled with a ferocity scores above anything she had ever experienced.

She was entirely and utterly _overwhelmed_.

Then she had her hands in Honeymaren's hair, her lush brown tresses that were so _soft_ to the touch. Their kiss slowly deepened and they feel further into ecstasy.

And as they moved their lips in tandem, Elsa tasted her lips and felt another shock pass through her entire being. She had long wondered what those lips would taste like, and jokingly speculated that they would taste like honey.

Now she had the answer. She had been wrong - It was _so_ much better than honey.

They broke apart, heaving, and Elsa sighed at the loss of contact. The kiss had only lasted a few seconds, yet to Elsa it felt much, much longer.

For a moment, they simply sat and stared at each other, sparks still going off in Elsa's soul.

"Maren!" A boyish voice sounded off in the distance.

Elsa shook her head, clearing it of her delirium. Honeymaren cleared her throat.

"I… I should go. Ryder's calling me. Uh… see you later?" Honeymaren said, standing up with a slight wobble.

Elsa could only nod, still half dazed.

Flashing a crooked smile, Honeymaren left her _lavvu_, face still completely flushed.

Elsa placed her fingers on her lips, tracing the places where Honeymaren had made contact. It was as if she could still feel Maren's lips press against hers, and that was driving her completely crazy.

Looking back at the parchment and pencil, a smile grew on her face. Picking up the writing utensils, she gripped the graphite rod lightly, and wrote.

_That being said, a lot has changed around here. For the better. The atmosphere is happier, and the spirits have become more cheerful by the day._

I_ have grown here and discovered a lot. Some intentionally, some accidentally, but all have been stepping stones that I am happy I've taken, and now I'm happy where I am._

I'm_ new to this, so I won't look too far ahead, but I know that whatever awaits will bring me greater happiness than before._

_-Love, Elsa__._

* * *

Folding up the letter, she slipped it into an envelope before sealing it with a small, cerulean blue snowflake that glowed in the dimness of her _lavvu_.

Stepping outside with the letter in hand, she saw Honeymaren sitting by the fire and talking animatedly with Ryder, eyes twinkling with glee. Elsa felt her lips curve upwards.

Breaking away from the sight, she raised the envelope.

"Gale?"

* * *

**A/N: Hey, so it's my first time trying my hand at writing fanfiction. I hope it was good. Reviews are definitely appreciated! For now, I'll stick to writing oneshots, because I definitely cannot commit to writing a full blown fanfiction at this point in time.**

**Anyway****, thanks for reading!**


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